Chev. JOHN WRIGLEY, MSM

Martin Blake writes:

I became a Brother-at-Arms in the M.S.M. in 1969 at Notre Dame de Valere in Sion near Lausanne, Switzerland, and was dubbed a knight in August 1975 in Chartres Cathedral by Bishop Michon.

Not long after I had an article in the Catholic Herald that invited interested parties to get in touch with me, and the first to reply was John Wrigley from Folkestone.   After suitable preparation, he and his wife Dorothy came over to Worth Abbey, where I taught French in the school, and in about 1979 were received into the Order by Dom Hugh O'Neil OSB, a monk who supported my cause.

John was a committed Catholic who worked for a firm that restored motor coaches and whose military service at the end of the War involved Singapore and the Military Police, was a leader in the Trades Union movement, and a local Justice of the Peace.   One of his close Catholic associates was Mgr John Jukes O.Cap., the auxiliary Bishop in Kent, who lived at West Malling. Another early member of our Order was Pat Lonergan who also lived at West Malling, and who sadly died of cancer shortly before being ordained a Permanent Deacon.   We three, and others, used to meet for Chapters at Aylesford Priory near Maidstone, whose refounder, Fr Malachy Lynch O. Carm, encouraged me to translate and publish the Rule of the Order in 1977. John and Dorothy came with me to Chartres and he was dubbed a knight in 1985, by the Bishop (Primate of the MSM). Thereafter he was my closest associate in the early years in England.

John and Dorothy Wrigley

From my retirement (in 1987) in Somerset I visited Kent a number of times, and usually managed to meet John; but as his health declined after Dorothy's death (in 2000) I saw him less frequently. For several years he was the Treasurer of the Preceptory, and a few years ago I was able to relieve him of this chore.   In his retirement he received the papal honour of the Benemerenti Medal.   He and Dorothy brought up a fine family of eight children.

Stephen de la Bedoyere adds:  the 8 surviving children have now become 17 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren! John was my sponsor when I was dubbed in 1997. For me, Chaucer’s description of ‘the verray parfit gentil knight’ in the Canterbury Tales fits John admirably! May he rest in peace.

John was buried in his knightly habit from the Church of Our Lady Help of Christians in Folkestone on Monday 18^th June 2012. Present at the Funeral Mass were brothers Stephen de la Bédoyère, Jean-Paul Gauthier (both in habit) and Richard Coles.